Ice-cool Cazorla spills secrets to Gunners’ penalty success

On the surface Santi Cazorla has little trouble maintaining his cool from 12 yards – but the Arsenal midfielder revealed even he suffers a case of the jitters every time he steps up to the penalty spot.

Should Cazorla’s next strike come via the spot, he will become the first player in Premier League history to score eight in a row from just penalties.

His latest was in a dramatic victory against Southampton last month though he has not scored from open play in the league since December 2014.

And the Spain international lifted the lid on the secrets to his success.

 (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I’m always nervous because if I miss then it’s a bad thing for me and my team, but you have to deal with it,” he said. “It’s a good responsibility to have. If the boss says that I have to take them, then that’s not a problem for me.

“You need to be confident. That’s the most important thing because if you think, ‘I have to shoot this side or the other side’ it’s a bad thing. You need to be confident to say, ‘I have to shoot this way definitely’. If you have to change your mind at the last second, then I think you will always miss.

“If you think, ‘I have to do it’ and then at the last second you change your mind, it’s a bad thing and you’ll miss.”